Pool, pizza and more tattoos: One Direction hone their tougher new image on visit to LA

They were the fresh-faced boys thrown together by Nicole Scherzinger on TV show The X Factor who went on to achieve a US hit album.

However, the clean cut image is long gone, as One Direction race to cover themselves in ink, as if it were a competitive sport.

Not to be outdone by bandmate, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson also decided some new etchings were in order during their current Stateside visit.

Punky: One Direction's Zayn Malik opted for a new half sleeve design on his forearm as he visited the Shamrock Tattoo Parlour on Wednesday evening

Decisions, decisions: Louis and Zayn seemed to be taking some time deciding which look they wanted to go for

Taking a break: Liam seemed to be enjoying a game of pool as his bandmates underwent their inkings

Chowing down on pizza, and whiling
away the hours with a game of pool, the boys are steadily assuming a
tougher image which is worlds away from their early incarnation.

The pair were accompanied by Liam
Payne as they made their way to the legendary studio on Sunset Boulevard
in West Hollywood, California, on Wednesday to add to their already
extensive collections of body art.

Zayn, 19, opted for by far the most dramatic look, adding to the 'ZAP' and microphone tattoos adorning his right forearm with an intricate half sleeve design.

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Meanwhile, Louis, 20, appeared to have opted for a large compass etching, adding to the seemingly random collection of doodles on his right forearm.

Anything you can do: Louis Tomlinson added to his collection of seemingly random scribbles with a large compass design

Tattoo addicts: Zayn (L) and Louis (R) are now sporting fairly extensive collections of inkings on their forearms

Tasty treat: Louis was seen tucking in to some yummy pizza

Although Liam, 19,
accompanied his bandmates on their visit, he didn't appear to have gone
under the needle, instead kicking back and relaxing while enjoying a
game of pool.

The boys - who jetted into Los Angeles on Tuesday - seemed to be taking some time in choosing their respective designs, looking through a tattoo book as they made their minds up.

And as the pain of the inkings subsided, the group enjoyed some tasty pizza as they chatted and relaxed inside the relative peace of the studio, before heading outside and being mobbed by a plethora of eager female fans.

But it would seem Louis - who could be seen wincing in pain as the tattooist got to work - is still keen to have more inkings, tweeting: 'Just seen all these punk edits of pictures of me, makes me want more tattoos !!'

Moral support: The boys were accompanied on their outing to Shamrock by bandmate, Liam Payne

Intense: Liam seemed to be concentrating intently on sorting his balls out for a game of pool

In addition to the microphone on his forearm, Zayn gave his cartoon-style 'ZAP' tattoo its first outing at the MTV VMA Awards back in September, sparking speculation that the colourful design stood for 'Zayn and Perrie', a tribute to his relationship with Little Mix's Perrie Edwards.

But in fact, 'Zap!' is a symbolic reference to the popstar's very own secret society, 'Club Zappers' in which he and Louis are captains.

The rest of the 1D gang, however, do not
have as senior a membership, with Zayn telling Nova.fm: 'They're a part
of club Zap but they're not Captains, they're just on the board of
Directors.'

Opting out: Although Liam sports a series of arrows on his right forearm, he didn't appear to have undergone another inking on Wednesday

Mobbed! Zayn and Liam had to be escorted out of Shamrock Tattoo Studios by members of staff as a barrage of female fans descended upon them

Here come the girls! It wasn't long before a plethora of eager fans were waiting outside Shamrock, keen to catch a glimpse of the teen heartthrobs

This secret organisation - which arguably is not so secret anymore - along with Zayn's official title in the Zappers indicates the love for comic-books goes beyond mere fashion statements.

It was only at the start of this month that the teen heartthrob had another etching done on his left collarbone.

He tweeted: 'For every1 asking what the new tatt means it says be true to who you are'.

Zayn a total of 10 tattoos, including an outline of a clothing hanger and his upper left arm, a large microphone on his forearm, an Arabic inscription on his collarbone and an outline of a hand with two fingers crossed.

Smoking hot: The 19-year-old singer indulged in a crafty cigarette as he browsed through a brochure of the designs

Louis - who celebrates his
21st birthday on Christmas Eve - has a flock of birds, a stick figure
on a skateboard with the word 'OOPS!' and 'far away' on his right arm.

Meanwhile,
Liam has a succession of arrows on his forearm, as well as the
inscription 'Everything I ever wanted, but nothing that I'll ever need'.

Explaining
the very philosophical meaning behind it all, he told Radio 1 DJ Scott
Mills: 'It's basically that obviously we've got a lot of things from
doing this and stuff, and there are things that I want, but all I ever
need is my family and these four boys right here.'

Bad boy: Zayn now has a collection of 10 tattoos, including his new half-sleeve

In addition to Harry's new ship design, he has a large pair of birds on his chest, which was etched at Shamrock last month and unfinished phrases 'Things I can' and 'Thing's I can't' on either forearm.

Also on his arms, the star has a series of seemingly random images, including a small padlock - tattooed on by his singer pal Ed Sheeran - two zig zags, a skeleton of a fish and the figure 99p.

The teen idol also has a large star on his inner arm, and recently added the song lyrics 'Won't stop 'till we surrender' from The Temper Trap track Sweet Disposition beneath it.

Ouch! Louis seemed to be wincing in pain as the tattooist got to work on his arm

Additionally, Harry
currently has a tiny 'A' in the crook of his elbow, which is believed to
be a tribute to his mother, Anne Cox, who he is extremely close to, as
well as '17 black' etched on his collar bone, an Iced Gem, comedy and
tragedy drama masks, a birdcage and the words SMCL.

The
words SMCL have led some fans to speculate it means 'smile more, cry
later' or 'Simon Cowell' - who famously put the band together on X
Factor two years ago.

Leading the pack: Harry Styles had a large ship tattooed on his upper arm on Tuesday

Niall
Horan is the only member of the band to not have any tattoos, but
recently joked he has a tattoo tribute to Simon Cowell on his bottom.

Speaking on X Factor USA, he said: 'I have one [tattoo]. It says, "I love SC", and it's on my bum.'

Harry,
Zayn, Liam and Louis all have matching screws inked on their ankles,
and have been urging Niall Horan to complete the set.

Harry
recently wrote on his Twitter page: 'So Me and Liam joined the crew
yesterday and got two screw tattoo’s on our ankles, now we all have it
except Niall! Come on @NiallOfficial.'